Last Sunday's Sermon


 
 
 
 

 

Mark 9:2-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Sermon
I think I might have done the same thing as Peter. I would have tried to make those illustrious people as comfortable as possible. Building a shelter is logical. After all they were on a mountain and mountains are notorious for unpredictable weather.

Actually I don't know what I would have done.   These things are beyond my comprehension. They are the stuff of legend. Some people might question whether these events actually happened. I do know that a lot of stories in those times were used to send a message. In the story of the transfiguration, Jesus appears with Moses who in Jewish tradition represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets. So how does Jesus fit into all of this dressed in his dazzling white robes. Well, God clears that up for us. He says, “This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him.” There is not a lot of room for discussion there is there. Jesus is the Son of God.  God loves him. Listen to him. There is no parable here. It is a straight forward message. Listen to him.

So, how are we doing on the listening front? Are we listening to Jesus. I think Jesus has sent us a pretty clear message or messages if you will. Love your God and love your neighbor. In business and in education we have something we call mission statements. I was talking to the hospital staff a few days ago when we were at an in-service for the chaplaincy program. They mentioned their mission statement. It is, “We provide quality, family centered health care'” The statement is meaningful and easy to remember.

Jesus message to us is love your God and love your neighbor. He of course fills it out with things we can do to show that love. We can feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick and those in prison. I might add that we are showing our love today by participating in the eucharist and sharing the peace. Lets go out today and be mindful that we live our mission statement of loving God and loving our neighbor.

Amen

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